Car roof



E. G. FRANCK Oct. 31, 1933.

CAR ROOF Filed May 25 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTO RN EYS E. G. FRANCK Oct. 31, 1933.

CAR ROOF 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 25, 1931 INVENTOR T i l 11 I lLF! ATTO RN EY S Patented Oct. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES CAR ROOF

Edwin G. Franck, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Hutchins Car Roofing Company,

Detroit,

Mich, a corporation of Delaware Application May 25, 1931. Serial No. 539,941

4 Claims.

The invention relates to car roofs of the type provided with hoist anchorage rails to facilitate loading and unloading of the cars. Such rails are usually arranged longitudinally of the car beneath the roof and to facilitate engagement with the hoist it is desirable to leave a space between the rail and the roofing sheets. It is, however, necessary to also support the sheets at the ridge, this being usually efiected by a so-called ridge pole; It is the object of the present invention to simplify the roof construction by dispensing with the ridge pole as usually constructed and providing other means for supporting the sheets, leaving a space between the same and the hoist anchorage beam. To this end the invention consists in the construction as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a cross section through a car roof of my improved construction on line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section showing in elevation the hoist anchorage rail and a means for supporting the roofing sheets;

Fig. 3 is a cross section similar to Fig. 1 on line 33 of Fig. 4; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified construction.

The type of car roof to which my improvements are applied is that in which the supporting carlines A do not follow the slope of the roof throughout their extent, but have a central horizontal portion in a plane below the ridge. With such constructions it is usual to mount the ridge pole above the carlines, said pole affording a bearing for the upper ends of the sheets. This will, however, occupy all of the space between the carline and the sheets so that a hoist anchorage beam must either be arranged beneath the carlines or otherwise fashioned to provide a space between the same and the ridge pole. With my improved construction I form the hoist anchorage rail of a series of short beams B which are arranged between adjacent carlines A and are secured thereto by riveting. As specifically shown, both the carlines of the hoist anchorage beams are formed of inverted channel cross section with outwardly extending base flanges, and these base flanges are overlapped and are riveted to each other as indicated at C. I also preferably provide across brace D between the flanges at the bottom of the channel B which is secured by the same rivets.

The roofing sheets E which follow the general pitch plane of the roof have their inner ends spaced from the carlines and the beams B. To support these sheets I provide at intervals upwardly extending members with laterally extending portions at their upper ends. Thus as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a substantially flat bar F having its upper face conforming to the angle of pitch on opposite sides of the ridge is arranged to extend longitudinally beneath the sheets E and is supported at intervals by posts G secured to the beam B by nuts G. The bar F is preferably in sections of a length corresponding to the distance between adjacent carlines and the ends of the bar are bent downward at F to rest upon the top of the carline. This will provide a support for the upper ends of the sheet and at the same time suflicient space between the bar F and the bar B for the insertion of a rope, chain or other means used as a hoist.

In the modified construction shown in Figures 3 and 4, instead of providing a longitudinally extending support for the sheets, blocks H are mounted at intervals upon the beam B, the upper faces of said blocks being sloped to conform to the shape of the roof and lying in the plane thereof.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a car roof, the combination with pitched roofing sheets, of carlines for supporting said sheets having their central portions spaced from the sheets at the ridge, hoist anchorage beams between said carlines and in the plane thereof, and posts extending upward from said beams at spaced points providing support for said sheets at the ridge.

2. In a car roof, the combination with a roof frame including a hoist anchorage beam extending longitudinally of the car beneath the ridge, of roofing sheets supported on said frame and spaced from said beam at-the ridge, a support for said sheets at the ridge spaced from said beam and posts or spacers between said beam'and sheet support arranged at spaced intervals in the length of the beam.

3. In a car roof, the combination with a roof frame including, a hoist anchorage beam extending longitudinally of the car beneath the ridge, of roofing sheets supported on said frame and spaced from said beam at the ridge and ampport for said roofing sheets at the ridge comprising a thin bar extending longitudinally and spaced from said beam, and posts for supporting said bar at intervals.-

4. In a car roof, the combination with a series of carlines having their central portions in a horizontal plane and below the planes of the pitch of the roof, hoist anchorage beams extending between carlines in the plane thereof, roofing sheets having their ridge ends spaced from said carlines and beams, sheet supports extending longitudinally of the ridge beneath the sheets and spaced from said beams, said supports being formed of thin bars extending between carlines and having end portions bent downward to bear upon the carlines, and one or more intermediate posts for supporting said bars from said beams.

- EDWIN G. FRANCK. 

